The Two Tailed Woman
by RedKitsune2016
Summary: My head whipped around to look over my shoulder. A small heap of pajamas was covering my body. I crept forward, revealing red fur that had sprouted over my back to half-way up my bushy tail… Or should I say tails? How different it was to even have a tail… Let alone two of them. AU. Rated M - Sex and language. OC.
1. Chapter 1

A/N March 2016: (Rated M for language and all that other stuff)

AU - I should let you guys know that this is set in the Twilight Universe with one simple change...Edward didn't come back from Alaska to save Bella from the van skidding across the ice. In this universe, she was killed in that accident.

How can this be? I have this listed as _Bella_ as the main character. No, she doesn't come back from the dead. But if you like stories with a strong female lead character, you're in the right place.

This is a fantasy. If you like it or you don't, please review. Constructive feedback is always beneficial to amateur writers.

Thanks.

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 **The Two-Tailed Woman**

I couldn't breathe.

Even though I was frozen in shock, it felt like my entire body was on fire. Every muscle in my entire body ached, especially my back. I felt like I had been stabbed in the back with a hot poker…repeatedly. It was impossible to ignore the overwhelming pain.

I couldn't focus on anything else.

The need to breathe became overwhelming. I drew breath in through my nose resulting in the frigid air to fill my lungs. Pain shot through my back, where it felt like the hot pokers had been. I fought to hold back from crying out loud. As hard as I tried to hold it in, my vocal cords vibrated as I choked on the painful cry that had been building up within my chest.

Big mistake.

I didn't think it was possible to feel worse than I already did. My throat burned like I had just choked on scalding hot water. I was afraid to move any more than what was required of me to breathe. I didn't want to open my eyes. All I could focus on was not moving. I don't know how long I had lain there, not moving. But after a while, a measure of peace came over me.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

At least things felt different—my body felt different—instantaneously. The pain was replaced with gnawing numbness. My brain felt awfully fuzzy and my mouth was dry. My stomach churned with hunger.

I must have passed out earlier from the pain.

Something warm and wet gently brushed over my cheek. It traveled to my ear before I felt a strong, brief jet of air over my earlobe. My eyes snapped open. Relief washed over me because the pain I expected from opening my eyes never came.

Fur. I saw a pillar of grey and white fur right in front of my face.

I strained to look up towards the dark, cloudy sky. There was a dog standing over me—a mutt. I felt its hot tongue against my face.

I was lying on my stomach, but my head was turned to the right. Just behind the dog's fuzzy leg, my arm was resting on top of small jagged rocks, all approximately the size of my thumbnail. Everything behind my hand seemed out of focus, however. I blinked, hoping that would clear everything up somehow. Yet, the blobs of grey-blue and white landscape in the distance never came into focus.

Ringing. I didn't notice it until now. Maybe it was the pain that had been distracting me. Maybe I didn't notice it earlier but now I couldn't get it out of my head. The ringing was almost overbearing my other senses making it difficult to focus on anything else.

The dog leapt over me, outside of view.

A brown boot came into my field of vision, then a knee covered by slightly-worn jeans, followed by the panicked face of a man. I was slightly distracted by his auburn-colored mustache as his lips moved to form words—his face pale, like he had seen a ghost. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear what he was trying to say.

"Hey!"

It was muffled, like he just shouted through a thick piece of glass. The ringing continued.

"Can you hear me?!" the muffled man shouted. I was too afraid to move. I couldn't stop the dread that started to seep into my bones as I stared back at his ghostly pale face.

He moved closer to me, shouting, "We can't stay here!"

The minute he started to move my weak body, there was no hope for escaping the searing white-hot pain in my back. I reflexively arched my back away from the stabbing pain over my shoulder blades.

I was beyond panicked as my vision started to darken. The pain only seemed to be worsening.

I allowed myself to slip off the edge into oblivion.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The pain was gone for now.

Instead, I was overwhelmed with all my other sensory inputs. There was so much noise. Shouting voices, machines beeping and ringing relentlessly… never was there a moment of silence. Then, there was the smell—the sickening smell of bleach along with other industrial-grade cleansing chemicals permeated in the air.

I sighed, frustrated. Causing me only to gag at the stench surrounding me

 _Tick. Tick. Tick._

What was that noise? It was a rhythmic ticking noise which was causing my head to throb horribly. Along with it was a constant buzzing which droned on and on. Curious about the source of the wretched noise, I cracked open my eyes and immediately winced from the brightness of my surroundings. The harsh, blue-tinted florescent light made me close my eyes reflexively. My eyes didn't even have time to adjust to the bright lights around me.

My sensitive eyes opened as only slits to prevent any more light from shining into them.

I was lying on a lumpy mattress tucked under several rough blankets. There was a small tube filled with clear liquid attached to a plastic bag hanging from a metal rack above me. Beyond the metal rack, all I could see was several computer screens, a plastic nightstand, and an open doorway.

There was a blond man in the hallway in a long white coat, facing away from me. He seemed to be talking to someone just on the other side of the wall. Despite the throb it caused in my head, I tuned into what was left of the conversation in the hallway.

"…first to second-degree burns on her right-upper extremity and back." He explained slowly to the individual standing behind the wall.

The blond man turned towards the doorway and did a double-take once he realized I was looking in his direction. In the flash of an eye, he was moving towards me with long strides. The man who found me—the man with the moustache—came into view. He was following the blond man closely—his expression was filled with worry… and hope.

"Miss, my name is Dr. Roos," he introduced himself, keeping his eyes glued to mine as his hand blindly fished for something in the pocket of his white coat. Dr. Roos appeared a little bit older than the man who found me, he pulled out a pen from his pocket, "How are you feeling?" he asked sympathetically.

How do I answer this? My head was spinning and throbbing, my throat was on fire, my ears were ringing relentlessly, and everything smelled like bleach. For some reason, a certain expression came to mind…

 _I've been better._

But that wasn't true either. All I could remember was feeling like hell warmed over when I had curled up in agonizing pain before being licked by the dog. What else was there to compare to?

Nothing.

That doesn't make sense.

I don't remember.

I searched my mind for some comparison, but I came up with nothing.

"I…" I croaked softly from my flaming throat. I reached up towards my throat, coughing and wincing from the pain in my throat and in the muscles of my arm.

"Would you like some water?" Dr. Roos asked just as a short, stocky woman in a blue outfit walked into the room.

I nodded in response.

Dr. Roos made brief eye contact with the woman, who left just as quickly as she appeared.

"You're in Saint Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma." Dr. Roos informed me, as his eyes glanced at the monitors beside my bed. "You were found by Mr. Swan here in the Olympic National Forest," He gestured over to the man with the moustache before continuing, "What is your name?"

I opened and closed my mouth. Nothing came to mind. I suddenly felt hyperaware of my heart beating in my chest. It felt like it was pounding against my ribcage which caused my blood to rush passed my ears.

Dr. Roos could tell I was struggling to answer his basic question, so he asked another question "Is there anyone you would like for us to contact for you?"

"I… I'm not sure." I stammered, my voice was still hoarse. "I guess…" I coughed weakly, the muscles in my chest ached in protest, "I'm having difficulty remembering."

Apparently staying outside during questionable weather wasn't conducive to one's health. Dr. Roos explained that, based on the signs, it was likely that I had been struck by lightning. I had entry and exit burns located on my back and my right hand. He explained that there was no identification found.

The man who found me, Mr. Swan—Charlie—was the chief of police in Forks, Washington. He had saved my life. Apparently I had developed myoglobinuria, according to Dr. Roos, this had been caused by my muscles over-contracting because of the electric shock of the lightning. If Charlie had found me any later than he had, I probably would have died.

That night, I left the hospital in Charlie's police cruiser. It had been mutually decided that I would be staying with him until my identity was determined. My future had been thoroughly discussed between Charlie and myself along with various individuals at the hospital that included several social workers and my case manager. Charlie had stated I had nowhere else to go and he had connections through the Forks Police Department.

My mind had raced, trying to understand my situation, as there was a lot for me to take into consideration. However, it all came down to what I was being offered. A safe place. My case manager explained to me that I couldn't stay in the hospital because of the cost alone. My short stay in the ICU would cost me upwards of $1,500 and there would be a bill sent to Charlie's address later this month. Plus I couldn't stand being in the hospital for one more minute. The scent of bleach had been nauseating, it was mere luck that I somehow managed to repress the urge to be sick.

But a voice inside my head told me that no one was looking for me. I accepted the unexplainable feeling wholeheartedly.

 _Call it instinct._

Pulling into Charlie's driveway and cutting the engine of the police cruiser brought a huge sigh of relief. I had finally escaped the lights, smells, and sounds that I assumed had to be nearly impossible to get away from in the large city. It took three hours for us to drive back to drive back to Forks. In that time I discovered that I hated riding in the car. Not because the company was bad, no—we discussed many things, from baseball to fishing— it was the smell of the exhaust from all of the cars on the road combined with the bright, blinding headlights of oncoming traffic.

He lived on the western outskirt of Forks, close to an expanse of forest that no one really owned. Charlie's house was peaceful.

This reminded me… that something was missing.

"Where's your dog?" I asked, as my eyes darted eagerly to each side of Charlie's home, thinking I might catch sight of a fence that might be his/her enclosure.

"I called my deputy to pick her up when I drove to the hospital." He answered as he turned towards the front door, his boots crunching against the gravel. "I'll pick her up tomorrow."

"What's her name?"

"Ackley." Charlie smiled fondly.

I trailed behind him up two small steps onto a porch before we entered his two-story home. Charlie shook off his boots after closing the front door behind us. I slipped out of the cheap plastic flip flops that Charlie had picked up from a nearby clothing store while I was being discharged from the hospital. He had already done so much for me, nearly a complete stranger—welcoming me into his home and buying me the clothes on my back.

"Here's the kitchen. There isn't much in the fridge right now, but you're welcome to it." He stated earnestly as rubbed his hand over his brow. He probably was just exhausted as I was after the long drive back.

Looking up at him, I smiled and nodded, distracted momentarily by his encouraging smile, "Thank you, Charlie."

His small smile that tugged on his moustache quickly merged into a slight frown, "I have to be at the station all day tomorrow." Charlie sighed, rubbing his sleep deprived eyes. "Got a lot of work to catch up on." he winced, turning towards the stairs before he raised his hand in a half-hearted gesture signaling me to follow him, "Let me show you where you'll be sleeping and where the bathroom is."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Bella. Her room smelled like dust and books, I couldn't detect any female scent besides my own. Charlie had pointed me towards her room—the room at the end of the hall, instructing me that I was welcome to use whatever was in there. When I asked if Bella would mind, I immediately regretted I even asked.

His features were immediately laced in pain as he shook his head before he quickly disappeared into his room at the opposite end of the hallway.

I assume that she was no longer in his life. I just hoped that she hadn't passed away.

In the center of the room, there was a large open box of his daughter's things. In the box, there was an assortment of bath products sorted in a small white tub resting on top of a stack of books. I had opened the shampoo bottle and sniffed carefully. I was assaulted with the scent of strawberries, thankfully it wasn't too overwhelming. I needed to wash off the hospital stench that had clung to my skin. I carried the strawberry-scented shampoo and a set of plaid flannel pajamas that I found towards the bathroom to take a bath.

Closing the bathroom door behind me, I caught sight of my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My long, black hair was sticking up horribly in several directions, protesting against the build-up of oil—a consequence of both not being washed and my stay in the hospital. I examined the foreign features staring back at me in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself. I obviously wouldn't be confused as Charlie's daughter, as my features were obviously from Asian descent. My complexion had a golden glow, my cheekbones high, and finally the classic almond-shaped eyes with an iris so dark, that it was almost black. Unless I pressed my cheek up against the mirror, I couldn't tell the difference in color between my pupil and the dark iris surrounding it.

I was instructed not to get the dressings wet. I was careful that no water came near the white-cotton taped to my upper back or my right arm.

Tucked under the purple sheets, I was lying in Charlie's daughter's bed. Night had come and gone and Charlie had long since left for work. My body ached, including my stomach, which was aching for a different reason. I would have to venture downstairs soon to investigate if there was anything to eat in Charlie's fridge, I wasn't sure my stomach was going to last much longer.

I sighed as I slipped out from under the covers, carefully, as to avoid brushing the sensitive skin on my back. Even though the wound was covered, the area between my shoulder blades burned when I twisted too far or slouched. During the long car ride, Charlie said he was going to pick up my prescriptions today from the local pharmacy. I had no idea when he would be back. I needed to find a way to repay him. I don't know how though. Money seemed to be most pressing issue. I can't imagine anyone would hire me with no work history and no educational history. I would have to ask Charlie about it later.

I swung my bare feet over, setting my feet gently onto the wooden floors. Last night I noted that some of the floorboards in the house audibly protested when any amount of weight was placed on them. I tested my footing as I made my way to the kitchen, mentally noting which boards creaked.

The contents of the fridge were meager: beer, five eggs, half a loaf of sliced bread, ketchup, three sticks of butter, & bacon.

Well, improving Charlie's diet would be one way to repay him. I wonder if I knew how to cook. I knew enough to know that beer, eggs, bread, and butter wasn't a well-balanced diet. Maybe there were some cookbooks in the house.

At least I knew how to read.

That was a start.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I fried one egg for lunch and ate one slice of toast, just enough to hold me over until Charlie came back.

After going through all the books in Bella's room, I found several cook books; I stacked most of them on top of the dresser next to the bed. It was chilly in the house, so I tucked myself under the covers while I read, lying on my side.

I heard the tires of the police cruiser on the gravel just before 6:45 pm. I quickly squirmed out from under the blankets with minimal burning from the wounds on my back. I my feet swiftly settled only on the silent floorboards and I skipped over the 2nd step from the top, which groaned no matter where or how gently you placed your foot. Charlie came in through the door with a several bags of prescription medications in one hand and an arm-full of groceries in the other.

"Let me help you." I called eagerly as I rushed towards him. Various new scents wafted into the entryway, the more notable being the smell of dog permeating from Charlie's clothes.

"Just be careful of that right arm," he warned as we transferred some of the weight of the groceries onto my left arm.

"Where's Ackley?" I asked, expecting her to jump out at any moment.

"She's waiting in the car." He explained as we unloaded the groceries onto the table, "She's still kind of a puppy, a young dog at least, so I'm trying to train her."

I nodded my head as I eagerly slipped on my flip-flops before I followed Charlie outside to meet the puppy.

I could see her spying through the window of the police cruiser at us. Her body language screamed excitement even though she was desperately trying to contain it. She was a mutt for sure, but I could tell that she had some Australian Shepard in her blood.

I think I might be a dog person. How else would I know that stuff?

Charlie opened the passenger door of the police cruiser, "Stay." He stated firmly.

She stayed planted in the vehicle even though her entire back end was wiggling back and forth.

"Don't let her jump up on you," He spoke towards me gruffly.

I nodded impatiently. Charlie verbally cued Ackley that she was allowed to exit the vehicle. Her paws quickly padded across the driveway in my direction before coming to an abrupt halt. Her front paws danced excitedly in front of me.

I felt an undeniable urge to play with Ackley and frolic around in the gravel. I felt a pleasurable shiver throughout my body before I was face-to-face with Ackley.

Her wet tongue darted out to lick my face causing me to yip in delight.

 _Yip?_

I suddenly became acutely aware of my body. Something wasn't right.

My head whipped around to look over my shoulder. A small heap of pajamas was covering my body. I crept forward, revealing red fur that had sprouted over my back to half-way up my bushy _tail_ …

Or should I say _tails?_

How different it was to even have a tail…

Let alone two of them.

But a slightly more distracting fact was the bandages that had been covering the burns on my back were now stuck to my fur. An unintentional snarl escaped through my teeth.

Movement in my peripheral vision caused my head to snap in that direction.

 _Charlie_. He was standing there with widened eyes. Lips turned down slightly in a frown. He looked really tall in my new perspective.

What the fuck is happening?

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Let me know if you want more. Or if this is a dud.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed.

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Shock. And a hint of fear. That's what I smelled when I padded closer to Charlie.

Then my legs collapsed underneath me when Ackley's body crashed into mine, I yelped in surprise.

Before I knew what was happening, all four of my legs were no longer on the ground. Warm hands encased my ribs as I was lifted to Charlie's chest height.

I could hear his panicked heart racing within his chest.

"Ackley, down." He scolded her quietly as she jumped towards me, wanting to roughhouse with her new playmate—which was me.

I tried to remain as still as possible while Charlie carried me towards the house. Ackley following close behind his heels. He kicked off his boots in haste after walking through the front door, which he had shut gently, only after Ackley slipped through. All three of us went into the kitchen before he set me down next to the groceries. I could smell a wide variety of aromas permeating from the bags, including raw meat.

"Do you know…" Charlie struggled to find the words to say, "… how to change… uh… back?"

I shook my head slowly from side to side. If only I knew…

Just like that, my body became too large to fit on the space provided on the kitchen table. I twisted to the side towards the kitchen floor so I wouldn't knock off any of the groceries we placed on the kitchen table just a few minutes ago.

I felt a smile grow on my face as I now took shape of my more familiar human body. I turned towards Charlie, beaming, only to realize that his face had turned beet red. He mumbled something about "clothes" and "driveway" before he stumbled towards the entry-way. I noted my blatant lack of clothing, which would have no doubt been the cause of Charlie's red faced appearance.

He reappeared, eyes averted and pajamas in hand. I quickly slipped them on. I frowned when I didn't feel the burning pull I had expected on my back or arm when I pulled the pajama top over my head. I examined the skin on my arm, which was free of any burns or marks that have been there for the past three days.

"I'm decent." I stated, suddenly nervous of how Charlie would react to this.

Charlie had a slight furrow on his brow as his lip twitched, obviously struggling to come up with what to say.

The silence between Charlie and I was interrupted by the sound of Ackley's claws scraping against the hardwood floor in the kitchen. She turned her head patiently towards Charlie as she sat next to the empty food dish in the corner of the room.

"Could you hand me Ackley's food?" Charlie asked causing Ackley's floppy ears to perk up, "it's in that top cupboard behind you."

"Sure." I replied before I retrieved the food. Handing it to him, I wracked my brain for something to say to Charlie as he met my eyes briefly.

He started to pour some of the soupy chunks of meat into the empty dish. Ackley waited impatiently, wiggling as she attempted to sit still several feet from the bowl.

My stomach growled loudly, effectively cutting the silence for almost four seconds. Charlie's head snapped back towards me, a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Did you have dinner, yet?" I asked, hoping desperately that he would answer…

"No." He replied.

The only thing I had to eat today was the egg and toast around 1 o'clock.

"I could make us some dinner?" I asked hopefully. Without rummaging through the bags of groceries that were piled haphazardly on the table, I already knew what was inside them. The most overwhelming of odors was the raw meat, garlic, and onion.

"Sure, that'd be nice." Charlie nodded as he gestured towards Ackley to eat her food. She eagerly leapt from the spot she had been sitting.

"Well…" he scratched the back of his neck, looking at the bags of groceries that were piled haphazardly on the table. "Let's put these groceries away first?"

The silence was filled with me telling him what ingredients needed to stay out to make dinner as we put the groceries away into the fridge.

"So, what did you have in mind for dinner?" he asked curiously. His eyes hungrily examining the ground beef, onions, and mushrooms that were lying on the table.

"You wanna help chop?" I asked, avoiding his question.

"Sure." He nodded with a slight smile hiding beneath his moustache.

Casual conversation about Charlie's workday and his work in general filled the air along with the aroma of the white sauce I was making from memory of Bella's cookbook upstairs. Charlie's face had lit up when he realized what we were cooking. The beef stroganoff was absolutely fantastic. Both of us agreed that Charlie would finish the serving of leftovers tomorrow during his lunch break. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as Charlie asked me—sheepishly—if I could make something again for dinner tomorrow. Obviously, Charlie wanted me to live with him for the time being…despite my lack of humanity.

"I could walk to the grocery store." I offered. "To pick up more ingredients."

"What about your arm and your back?" Charlie shook his head, "Dr. Roos said that you were to rest until the burns had healed."

"My arm is fine, Charlie." I stated as I pulled the sleeve on the pajamas up past my elbow.

"Huh." Charlie grunted. Perplexed, he sat still in his chair before he seemed to make up his mind. He pulled out his wallet and handed me three twenty-dollar bills. "For the groceries."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It seems like Charlie was more comfortable with pretending the… _incident_ in the driveway never occurred.

Charlie worked every day since I arrived in Forks, but we fell into a routine. Every three days or so, I would walk a little over two-and-a-half miles to the grocery store with a couple of insulated tote-bags. I didn't particularly enjoy the days I went to the store, for several reasons. First, people smelled. Usually women. Their perfumes gave me a massive headache. I was glad that Bella's shampoo was very mild, making it tolerable to use every day. I was also thankful that I was slightly smaller than Bella, so I fit in her pants and shirts… I didn't wear her underwear… Only when I went to the store, I would wear a bra that I found that still had a tag on it. Her bras were all too small for me, too tight which rubbed my skin in uncomfortable places, and barely contained my breasts.

Second, along the highway—which was where the store was located—it was absolutely noisy to walk along the road. Especially when trucks and motorcycles passed by, their engines were loud and it hurt my ears almost to the point where my they would be ringing for the rest of the day. I hated when the semi-trucks honked their horns—I seriously felt like my eardrums were about to burst.

Lastly, I preferred to sleep during the day.

On days that I didn't walk to the store, I went to bed around seven o'clock in the morning and woke up at three in order to cook dinner for Charlie. I would stay awake at night while Charlie and Ackley slept, usually reading Bella's books when the weather was stormy.

When the weather was nice I would strip my clothes on the back porch and practice turning into my other form.

A two-tailed-fox.

And I would explore the forest on the edge of Charlie's yard. I had a better understanding of how to turn my human body into a fox. Each time I did, a pleasurable shiver would wrack my entire body, from head to toe.

I almost preferred being a fox.

If it wasn't for my relationship with Charlie, I don't think I would want to be human.

Charlie and I would take Ackley on leisurely walks after dinner. Charlie taught me how to train Ackley, we were working on proper leash behavior now. Most nights, we would watch TV together on his giant plasma screen in the living room. The TV kind of hurt my eyes though, so I only glanced at it occasionally. However, about a week ago, Charlie had put the TV onto a channel called the food network. We were addicted to say the least. We have pretty much watched it every night ever since.

Charlie went to bed about an hour ago. I was already making my way silently through the forest about three miles from home. There was a constant misting of rain, but my thick fur coat kept me warm. My nose was pressed to the rich, moist moss at the base of a tree. I was following the scent of a young deer who had passed through these trees just a couple hours ago.

Besides the other nocturnal animals, owls and raccoons mainly, I was alone in the woods. I liked it that way. I found it peaceful.

A stopped before a puddle, peering over at my reflection. My ears were huge in comparison to the rest of my head, they were like huge satellite dishes, picking up all the noises for miles around.

Like that, the forest went silent. Nothing living moved—I could only hear the hundreds of droplets of water dripping from the needles of the trees onto the ground below. The hair on my back stood up like goosebumps on a human as my instincts told me that there was something seriously wrong. This eerie silence… it made my stomach drop with dread.

I bolted back towards home in a panic. I could _feel_ something chasing me before I heard it. The sound of leaves and twigs crunching and snapping underneath the weight of… something… something heading in my direction at impossible speed.

Red eyes.

It had somehow gotten in front of me.

She was a person. Or… she looked like a person with red eyes.

Worst of all, she smelled like the hospital.

"Look what we have here." Her voice sounded unnatural as she smiled like the Cheshire cat. There was something off about it. This thing. Whatever it was. It certainly wasn't human.

She was a predator.

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't outrun her.

"Ugh," she groaned, "At least let me talk to you."

I turned back into my human form, causing the human-predator before me to smile gleefully and clap her hands so fast that her hands became a blur of pale flesh.

"Excellent." She cackled.

"What do you want?" I growled, tired of her toying with me.

She lunged at me nearly faster than I could think.

 _No!_

The second her stone-cold hand wrapped around my arm just above the wrist. Squeezing—snapping the two bones like twigs on the forest floor.

I screamed in pain as I lashed out blindly, desperate to get her away from me.

 _CRACK!_

There was a blinding flash of light which caused my eyes to strain to adjust back to the dark forest. The damp ground thundered beneath my feet, reverberating all the way into my chest.

The rods of electricity that were emitting from my hands burned and tore at the flesh of the red-eyed she-monster. Like an extension of myself, I tore her body into a dozen pieces within seconds. Adrenaline and fear raced through my blood as I watched her stone flesh gradually turn into purple plumes of smoke.

The forest was quiet again, other than my gasping breaths. My head was spinning and at some point I had fallen to my knees.

I turned into a fox, hoping that would heal my injured arm, like it had for the burns. There was no avail. The second I tried to put weight onto my front paw, I yelped in pain. I turned back into my human form, as there was no point in me limping home on three legs. With bare feet, I made my way through the forest towards home.

Once I made it back home I collapsed on the bed; naked and covered in leaves, twigs, and mud. That night I slept for almost twelve hours. Whatever had happened in the forest seemed to have taken all of my energy.

Days passed by and my arm only felt marginally better. I didn't say anything to Charlie, nor did he notice that I favored my right arm. My hand worked fine. I could make a fist with minimal increase in pain. I stuck with using my left arm for everything. Which was more difficult than I thought it would be. I was surprised at how many things you need two hands for. Everything seemed to take twice as long as it did before. Brushing my hair was a task in itself.

Of course, I never went back into the forest.

Why was I so surprised? If I exist, then certainly there are other monsters out there that go bump in the night. It was a scary thought and I had no one to confide in.

I obviously couldn't ask Charlie.

After Charlie went to bed, I tried every night to produce the lightning again… with no success. It seemed that it was a self-defense mechanism that I wished I had better control over. What other powers do I have that I don't know about? What if I accidentally hurt Charlie?

Is it even safe for me to be around him?

I struggled with myself for a couple more days. On edge. Always on alert. I went through my daily routine and avoided physical contact with him. However, I stayed in my normal routine; cooking meals, going to the store, watching the food network, and taking Ackley on walks. I started doing other chores around the house such as laundry and cleaning. Of course, everything seemed to take twice as long with my broken bones. It was the only way I could pay Charlie back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Days turned into weeks since I killed the red-eyed creature in the woods. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, no lightning that is. I was getting more comfortable around Charlie and vise versa. He seemed overall happy that I was here… or maybe it was all the good food. Tonight, Charlie and I were eating an angel-hair chicken pasta recipe from one of Bella's cookbooks.

"There's the first Mariner's game of the season on Saturday night." Charlie mentioned after telling me about his day.

"Yeah?"

"An old family friend, Billy, usually comes over and watches it with me." Charlie stated, "Is that alright?"

"Yeah, Charlie." I laughed, feeling silly that he was asking me if it was okay if he invited a friend over to his own house, "Thanks for letting me know." I gasped before he had an opportunity to respond, "I should make those mozzarella stuffed meatballs we saw last night!"

Charlie beamed, I don't think I had seen him smile so wide before, "I took the day off. I was hoping we could go to the store on Saturday morning, that way you wouldn't have to walk."

I couldn't help but smile in response to his excited gleam. "Sure." I nodded. But I inwardly flinched at the thought, I would have to go to bed super early… probably around two on Saturday morning so that I could get some sleep.

"Does eight sound good?" he asked, frowning, "What time do you usually wake up?"

I wasn't going to tell him that I was normally just waking up at three in the afternoon, "Eight sounds perfect, Charlie."

Charlie was beaming like a kid on Christmas morning, "Great!"

Seven-thirty in the morning on Saturday and I was in the kitchen cooking bacon, dressed to go to the store. I had gotten four hours of sleep, even though I tried to go to sleep early… I couldn't fall asleep because it was nearly three hours before my normal bedtime. However, I was running on adrenaline. I was counting on my plans for today to go perfectly. I wanted to make Charlie happy after all he has done for me over the past couple of weeks.

It was going to be my first time baking today, well as far as I can remember… and I was nervous. I think it was in my inhuman nature that I preferred to eat meats instead of sweets. Honestly, I don't think I've eaten any desserts. So maybe I did like them.

I was pleased as Charlie greedily ate the bacon and eggs I cooked for breakfast. We let Ackley out into the backyard enclosure before heading out to the store, since the morning sun was shining through the clouds. We were gambling that it wasn't going to rain within the next hour.

It seemed that everyone knew Charlie. Nearly all the customers at the store greeted him, most of them called him "Chief". A couple times we had to stop for brief conversation, but none of them lasted for more than half-a-minute. That was, until…

"Charlie!" A woman's voice called from behind us as we were in the baking isle, picking out the powdered sugar. I turned around to see a woman around his age walking up to us. She was gorgeous, her long black hair went down to her waist and her bronze skin looked so healthy. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "It's been too long."

"Yeah, Sue." Charlie replied, hugging her firmly. Their hug lasted for more than five seconds before he loosened his hold on her, "What are you doing all the way over here?"

"You know that our store on the reservation doesn't have nearly everything I need." She swatted at his arm playfully. Charlie's cheeks tinted pink, ever-so-slightly as Sue smiled at him with a bit of a scolding look.

Charlie turned to me, "This is Sue. She's a good friend of mine… and Billy's."

Before I knew what was happening, her arms were wrapped around me in a hug. She smelled different than the other humans, even Charlie, who smelled too strongly of his aftershave. She smelled really good, natural. No chemical smell. Plus, I could smell a strong scent of dog on her clothes.

"Do you have a dog?" I asked casually.

"No." She frowned slightly after she pulled away from the hug she just gave me.

"Oh." I didn't know what to say. I didn't feel like it would be appropriate for me to question further. She must have _just_ played with someone else's dog for the scent on her clothes to be that strong.

"Charlie, it's been a while since you've been down to the reservation." She spoke towards him, scolding but playful, "You haven't taken her—", she referred to me, "—to the beach yet have you?"

She didn't give him time to answer. "Next weekend you two are going to come over for dinner. You can bring Ackley."

"Yes, Ma'am." Charlie smiled, cheeks pink.

"I'll call you with the details." She pointed in his direction as she grabbed some baking chocolate.

"Sounds good, Sue." He spoke as she walked away pushing her shopping cart.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Everything was going just as planned. At two in the afternoon I finished sprinkling the powdered sugar over the berry custard bars. They needed to refrigerate for at least an hour. At three o'clock my hands were covered in raw meatball as I formed the balls over bite-sized pieces of mozzarella cheese. Everything takes longer with my aching wrist.

4:25, the game starts at 5:00. I heard the engine of a vehicle before the tires crunched over the gravel in the driveway. I peeked out the window to see a blue truck pull-up into the driveway. I had literally just finished preparing the steamed green beans and the meatballs were covered, sitting in their red sauce on the stovetop. I had just pulled them out of the oven ten minutes ago.

I sighed in relief. Everything worked out perfectly… And I was exhausted. I wouldn't be surprised if I fell asleep during the game.

"They're here!" Charlie called out to me before he opened the door.

 _They?_ I assumed he wanted me to come introduce myself, so I rushed after Charlie out the front door. I neglected to put on my flip flops.

My jaw must have dropped to the porch.

The largest man she'd ever seen was pushing an empty wheelchair towards the passenger door of the blue truck.

I didn't think it was possible for a man his size to have as much muscle bulk as he did. I wondered how much he was lifting in order to obtain his size. He had on a well-worn grey wife-beater that did nothing to cover his broad shoulders. When my gaze settled on his black basketball shorts, I felt that all too familiar shiver of pleasure wrack my body. I quickly forced myself to think of semi-trucks driving on the highway, thankful that I had better control of my body.

"Hey, Jake!" Charlie called as he jogged towards the two men. "Are you going to stay for some meatballs? They just came out of the oven."

Billy laughed as Jake helped the older man out of the truck and into the wheelchair. "I think you had him at meatballs."

I forced my jaw shut and my feet to move forward down the two steps on the porch. My stomach was twisted in knots as he pushed Billy in the wheelchair towards the front porch.

There was something about Jake that made me feel on edge.

I could feel Jake's eyes on me now, I didn't want to meet his gaze because everything about Jake displayed alpha male—which was insane. He's a human. Right? Why did I feel this way?

Maybe it was just his size that was off-putting. He could snap me like a twig with his giant hands. My eye level was at the same level as where his nipples would be underneath his grey shirt. I kept my eyes everted from him, easy enough considering how tall he was in comparison to my short stature. I kept my focus on Billy instead. It was much easier to keep my attention on Charlie's friend, after all, I was originally planning this for the two of them.

"This is Billy," Charlie introduced the bronze-skinned man in the wheelchair to me, who had met my gaze with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Billy." I returned a friendly smile of my own as the two tanned men slowed to a stop in front of me.

I had déjà vu of sorts from this morning in the grocery store. Both Billy and Jake smelled amazing, just like Sue, but the aroma was stronger and overpowering. The strong scent of something deliciously spicy and utterly male was mixed in with that familiar dog smell. It was like catnip. And I was the cat.

I hastily stamped down my fox-urge to sniff the air.

Maybe they weren't human?

"Someone told me that you're quite the cook." Billy clapped his calloused hands together as he jerked his head towards Charlie.

My cheeks pinked slightly, "Well, I guess you will have to see for yourself. Everything is ready to eat. Hope you're hungry."

"Yes." Billy's eyes shot back in Jake's direction, "We're starving."

"This is Billy's son, Jake." Charlie

"Hey," Jake removed his right hand from the handle of Billy's wheelchair, offering it to me, "Nice to meet you."

His low, rumbling voice sent a ripple of shivering awareness in my body, forcing me to think of that annoying blast from a semi-truck to keep my fox-urge under control.

"You as well," I spoke the only socially reply I could think of. Never looking up towards his face, focusing on his outstretched hand. I smiled gently, "I'd shake your hand, but I've been so clumsy recently," I lied, rubbing my injured wrist for effect, "I think I sprained my wrist."

"It's no problem." Jake withdrew his hand and steered his father's wheelchair around so he could pull Billy up the two steps backwards. I didn't notice until now that Billy had a six pack of beer in his lap.

"Save room for dessert, you guys." Charlie spoke up from within the front doorway.

"What's for dessert?" Jake asked, his eyes still glued on me.

I shivered again as he spoke. _Gah! That needs to stop!_ I was just hoping that another… incident… wouldn't occur while Billy and Jake were here. I was just grateful that Ackley, who was sitting patiently next to me, served as a distraction as Jake maneuvered his father up the steps.

"Berry custard bars." I replied as I patted the top of Ackley's warm head.

"Wow, Charlie." Billy laughed as Jake pushed him through the front door. "You're going to get fat if you aren't too careful."

"Naw, I got to stay fit," Charlie shook his head, "Who's going to keep your ass in line."

"Wow, it smells great." Jake smiled as his nose flared, taking in the robust scent of the meatballs in the air. He had long since let go of his father's wheelchair, thus Billy wheeled himself to the kitchen.

Jake placed his hand against the wall as he kicked off his shoes next to Charlie's boots, the taut muscles in his shoulder were slightly distracting. I watched him as he followed his father into the kitchen. His gait was amazingly fluid, it seemed near effortless. His footsteps were near silent as he approached the other men.

Charlie was already serving a plate for Billy and a plate for himself.

I followed Jake's previous movement across the kitchen, stopping a couple feet away from Jake just as Charlie had finished piling Billy and his respective plates. That spicy, mouthwatering aroma mixed with dog wafted off of Jake. The air was stagnant in the kitchen, which made a huge difference in the build-up of Jake's scent. It hung thickly in the air, nearly overpowering the scent of the meatballs.

There was something different about him. The way he moved. The way he smelled. It wasn't like the humans.

 _Was Jake not human?_

"After you." Jake smiled indulgently, handing me an empty plate.

"Thanks." I smiled politely. I set down the plate next to the meatballs and grabbed the large spoon with my left hand. I scooped up the wonderful smelling mixture onto the plate along with a side of green beans. I was extremely aware of Jake's presence next to me—I felt so on edge. I had to specifically focus on my every action. So much so that I wasn't paying attention to Charlie and Billy's conversation until Jake contributed.

"Yeah," Jake affirmed something Billy had said, "I really like it."

It made me shiver again. I stomped down the feeling, my frustration continued to grow at my reaction to him. Why did Jake have such an effect on me?

I finished spooning out my portion and held the serving utensil out for Jake. His warm fingers brushed mine as he grabbed the spoon from my hand. I grabbed my plate before turning to go sit at the table. I realized no matter where I sat at the table, Jake would have to sit directly opposite from me.

Silently enough that I knew that Charlie wouldn't hear, I growled in frustration. It felt like Jake's eyes were boring a hole into my back. Only adding fuel to the flames of my growing frustration.

I focused on my meatballs after I sat down at the dinner table. I was pleased at how juicy they were, it was near perfection. The flavor was great, of course, it was Gordon Ramsey's creation. Everyone on the TV raved about him. Now, I understand.

"This is excellent." Charlie exclaimed waving his fork at the meatballs as Jake sat down at the table across from me.

"Yes," I agreed with him, "We will have to try some of Chef Ramsey's other recipes."

Charlie chewed on his meatball and nodded enthusiastically.

"You two be careful what you say now," Billy teased, "Or I'll be over here more often with cooking like this."

Jake groaned from across the table just as he took his first bite.

"You have a created a weapon, girl." Billy winked at me, "The fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Charlie and I laughed. I liked Billy. I can see why he and Charlie were friends.

"So, Jake, how's school going?" Charlie asked, "You're almost done, aren't you?"

I looked down at my plate of meatballs. I was starving, but I didn't want to eat. I was too on edge.

"Yeah, it's going, just three months left." Jake replied, eliciting another shiver from my body.

 _Gosh!_ This was so annoying! I just wanted to enjoy the night with baseball and meatballs! I stabbed a meatball with my fork a little too forcefully causing the fork to make an unnatural-screeching noise against the plate. Which drew Jake's gaze back on me.

"Are you, Embry, and Quil going to do anything when you graduate?" Charlie asked, "A party?"

"I don't have any plans yet," Jake spoke, causing another shiver to shoot down my spine.

 _This is bullshit!_ I hated that Jake had this effect over me. It felt like he took away what little control I had over my body. If I didn't do something to ebb my growing frustration, I would be in deep shit. I felt the urge to turn into my fox form and run my frustration away. It made my body itch.

I needed a distraction. Or I was going to go crazy…

I was going to test my theory of Jake's humanity. He smelled like a dog for a reason…

I looked at him. Despite my instincts forcing me to look anywhere else. I looked at him straight in the eyes. I wasn't surprised to find him looking back at me.

Confusion. I could see it in his light brown eyes. But he and I continued our staring contest. The need to look away from his gaze was strong and growing each second.

And I purposefully started to purr as I brought a meatball to my lips.

Shock. His eyes widened and quickly darted over to Charlie and then Billy who were laughing and drinking beer, oblivious to what was going on right in front of them.

I closed my eyes and bit slowly into the meat on my fork. I moaned quietly as I chewed on the meat and the parmesan cheese. I could smell the spicy male scent coming off Jake become more potent.

When I opened my eyes, Jake was staring at me still with his mouth slightly ajar. I could hear his breath coming out in short pants. I had no doubt that he was aroused.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Billy finish his beer. "Would you like another one, Billy?" I asked the older man casually.

"Yes. Please." Billy smiled as I took his empty bottle.

"Charlie?" I asked over my shoulder as I walked towards the fridge.

"Why not." Charlie nodded.

I grabbed the two beers out of the fridge. As I walked back to the table, Jake had already returned to eating his food quietly while he kept his eyes on me.

"Thank you." Charlie smiled as I passed him his beer.

I went back to eating my food sensually, yet subtly as possible. Jake's eyes never left me as Billy and Charlie continued to catch up on various things as they ate. Sometimes, Charlie would explain to me things in his conversation with Billy. Certain people they knew. Or past events they shared together.

"I think it's almost 5:00." Billy said as he looked at the clock on the wall. "Let's get the game ready."

"Sure." Charlie smiled eagerly and grabbed his empty plate.

I stopped him, "I'll clean this up and get dessert ready. You catch up with Billy."

Charlie opened his mouth to protest, but Billy spoke first, "Jake'll help."

"Yeah. I'll help, you two go get things started." Jake nodded as he started to collect the dirty dishes from the table.

I shivered involuntarily in response to Jake's deep voice, who gracefully dumped the dirty dishes he had collected into the sink.

The second Charlie and Billy left the kitchen, the subtlety went out the window. Jake took two large strides towards me, a possessive growl escaped through his teeth as one hand slid up the back of my thigh. His entire body vibrated as his thick forearm wrapped under my ass to pull me flush against him. His other hand had laced through my hair before he roughly tugged my head back, exposing my throat. He buried his nose against my neck, breathing in, the vibrating stopped.

My heart felt like it was racing out my chest. We were both panting heavily. It was like I slipped into a warm bath, his body heat soaking my clothes and making me shiver involuntarily.

He groaned lowly, "What are you?" He asked right before I felt his hot tongue against my throat.

I muffled my moan by biting down on my bottom lip, I panted, "I'm not sure."

"I don't even know you. I want you so bad." He groaned again, licking my neck as his whole body started to go haywire. His body would tremble for a couple seconds, then go still, "I don't even know you…", he repeated, trembling, "…and I've never wanted anything so bad… in my entire life."

It was like his control was hanging on the balance.

"Please." He begged like a dying man starving for something to eat.

"Outside." I whispered because I wanted the same thing. Maybe not as much as he did, but I craved that connection.

* * *

R&R


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you to all of those who reviewed, including **Twisted Musalih** , **Jessie the twilight girl** (here is an update so you don't go crazy- although, I wonder if life would be less complicated if you lost your mind), and **cloudshadow22** (a nickname should come about at least... otherwise, you'd just be calling her "hey, you").

 **Hey:** Language.

* * *

The shrill ring of the telephone made both of us wince. The hand that had been firmly planted on my ass pulled me tighter towards him. He simultaneously guided my face in towards his throat via the hand that was tangled in my black hair. A ripple of shivering cascaded down my spine as I inhaled his potent and deliciously spicy scent. We were both panting loudly, as if we had just sprinted through the forest.

Another loud ring had effectively severed our lust filled haze.

"Could one of you guys grab that?!" Charlie shouted from the living room.

Jake growled lowly in frustration, sending another ripple of awareness throughout my body. I choked back a moan from escaping my throat.

Jake's grasp on me never loosened as he strode towards the landline. The hand that had been tangled in my hair caught the blasted phone in the middle of the third ring. "Swan's residence."

 _Mmm! That voice._ Even though he was positively fuming at the interruption, his voice still had that same effect.

"Fuck, Black." I heard another male voice curse on the other end of the line.

"Jared." Jake growled irritably as another wave of vibrations wracked his body.

"Get your ass down here now." The man named Jared barked impatiently, "It's Seth and Leah! God damn it! Sam needs everyone."

Jake didn't have an opportunity to respond, the line went dead immediately after Jared finished speaking. Jake's vibrations intensified as he set the phone roughly back into the receiver. In an effort to calm him, I gently dug my nails into his scalp and dragged my fingers back towards his neck. Jake's eyes nearly rolled back into his head in response. He groaned and closed his eyes in pleasure.

Almost three minutes passed. I continued my task, dragging my fingers through his cropped hair. Over and over.

"I have to go." He sighed, reluctant as he slowly released his hold on me.

I figured as much after hearing what Jared had to say.

"I know." I replied, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice as both my feet touched the kitchen floor.

Jake stepped back slightly, his neck bowed down to look at me. He was gigantically tall, I had to strain my neck to look up at him.

"I'll be back." He whispered as he brushed some of my hair behind my ear. I shivered in response to his warm touch.

"I know." I repeated. He would have to come back to pick up Billy, right?

Jake gracefully headed towards the front door, pausing briefly to meet my gaze. His eyes held promise right before he went out of sight. The front door closing gently behind him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

That night he didn't come back.

After the game and an empty plate of desserts, Billy asked if he could use the phone. He didn't seem surprised or upset by his son's unannounced desertion after dinner. Billy called a woman named Emily, who agreed to come pick him up. As we waited for Billy's impromptu ride, Charlie asked if Billy wanted to plan a fishing trip. The two men chatted for the next hour about the future trip and past fishing experiences.

It was nearly ten by the time a car pulled up Charlie's driveway. The breaks squealed harshly alerting the two human men that Emily had arrived. Charlie helped Billy out of the house and down the front porch steps. There were two young women in the car, one of them had significant scars covering half of her face. Both of the women had an aura about them. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Billy introduced me to Emily and Kim briefly before saying his goodnights to Charlie. Kim returned to the car with the noisy breaks while Emily and Charlie placed Billy's wheelchair in the back of the truck. Charlie and I waved as the two women eventually drove off towards the reservation.

I fell into a restless sleep at some point that night. Exhausted from my lack of sleep over the past 48 hours. I woke up periodically throughout the night to look out the window, as if I would see Jake walking up any moment. I felt exhausted through the day, sleeping on and off until three, when I decided to cook dinner. After all, we had eaten all the meatballs Saturday night.

Another day passed. No sign of Jake.

Then another. Nothing. I reluctantly went to the store to pass the time, using the money Charlie leaves in a jar in the fridge.

On Wednesday, Sue called the landline and cancelled Charlie and I's weekend plans. Explaining that both her children had gotten sick with mono. She informed me that she would call back once they were better.

I sat on the hard wooden kitchen chair after I ended the call with Sue.

This is kind of what I needed. A reality check.

I knew almost nothing about Jake. Other than he had responsibilities, just like Sue and Charlie. Just like everyone else I've met. Everyone had something or someone they had to take care of. Family. Friends. Jobs. Chores.

All I had was Charlie and my debt to him.

I couldn't keep this up. This waiting. What was I even doing?

I felt pretty useless. _Purposeless._

I sure as hell wasn't going to just make dinner for Charlie for the rest of his life. I wanted to contribute more. Not just for his benefit, but also my sanity.

"I was thinking." I said to Charlie as we ate dinner that night, "I should get a job."

Charlie looked up from his plate, surprised.

"I should try to be productive at least," I stated to him, "I realized that I'm getting nowhere. I can't rely on you forever."

"Legally, you can't work, you don't have a social security number or any tax identifiers." Charlie said with a frown after setting his fork down.

"Oh, I didn't even think about that." I slumped in my chair as my stomach dropped and clenched. I set my fork down, any feelings of hunger I had were effectively stomped down. "But I can't wait around forever, what if they never find out who I am? What can I even do?"

"I'll look into it." Charlie sighed picking his fork up again, "This kind of thing…" he waved his other hand around, "…doesn't happen often, but there's got to be a way to get things rolling for you."

"Thanks, Charlie." I said earnestly, "I don't know what I would do without you."

Charlie's lips turned slightly upward as he took another bite of his dinner.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A week passed by. Nothing.

I had become officially crazy.

The more time that passed, the more trapped I felt.

I literally had nothing to do besides cook and I needed to keep my mind busy. I woke up early, around noon, and I couldn't fall back asleep. So I decided to walk Ackley for her to get some exercise. The sky was grey but it wasn't supposed to rain until later this evening.

I happened to be walking passed the high school in the community when I caught a faint whiff of that horribly familiar bleach smell. I stopped dead in my tracks, and just like she had been trained, Ackley sat next to me immediately. Panting happily.

I felt a slight prickling sensation erupt within my skull. I tried to ignore the unpleasant sensation as various thoughts ran through my mind. What was the monster doing here? I thought it was dead? Maybe there was another one? I panicked. What if it was stalking some unsuspecting human? I didn't know what to do. Do I go home? Was there really anything I could do anyway? I had Ackley with me after all. I forced myself to take a step forward.

The slight prickling within my skull was intensifying. Threatening to become a full blown headache. There was nothing that I would do about the scent. Not with Ackley here. I couldn't put her in danger like that. Plus, this headache was becoming more intense by the second.

Just one step in front of the other. Just go home. But... What if they were looking for me because I had killed one of them? What if I lead them to Charlie's house?

"You're being paranoid." I lowly whispered to myself. "Great now I'm talking to myself." I huffed loudly.

I hadn't noticed before. About fifty feet from the sidewalk stood a man next to a bright red Jeep. I was caught off guard, as I hadn't noticed him before and there wasn't much that slipped passed me.

I froze when his unnaturally golden eyes met mine.

He definitely wasn't human, as that horrible stench I smelt was coming from him. Unlike the monster I met before, he would be able to blend with the human population quite a bit better than the she-monster. He looked well dressed, his hair neatly combed, and a pair of car keys dangling in his hand.

The prickling headache had morphed into a vicious stabbing within my skull. The unrelenting stabbing pain brought me to my knees. As I grabbed my head I glanced over towards the parking lot to see the golden-eyed monster was running towards me at a human pace.

Panic seized me.

 _No! Please, not like this!_

Like that I was choking, freezing water filled my mouth. Thrashing, my hand found a pocket of air. I kicked my legs in order to push my head towards the surface. I coughed and sputtered violently, blinking in attempt to clear the water out of my eyes. The air had a biting chill, numbing my cheeks and nose. The water stung at my throat as I continued to cough up drops of cold water.

Through the rain pelting down, I could see darkened mountains sprinkled in snow in the distance. I was treading water in a lake. I needed to get out of this freezing water. So I swam. The muscles in my arms and legs ached, as my sedentary lifestyle didn't prepare me for the enduring water and the freezing cold. It wasn't long before my limbs felt numb and stiff, but I continued to drag myself through the water.

How did I get here? One minute I was kneeling on the sidewalk next to Forks High School, then not a second went by before I found myself in the water. Maybe I was dead? However, my heart was still racing from the encounter with the golden-eyed monster. I felt a wave of sadness as I feared what fate I left Ackley back in Forks. However, there wasn't anything I could do about it now. Seeing that I was no longer in Washington.

The burning ache in my lungs was all I could feel as I crawled up the wet, sandy shore. Exhausted and numb from the cold. I could hear a set of footsteps in the sand. Willing what strength I had left, I turned in the sand to see a naked woman standing above me. Her black hair was damp from the rain. She had a physical resemblance to me, with some slight variations in her facial features. I couldn't help but notice the look of pure hatred in her dark brown eyes.

I saw the flash of light before the blinding pain in my face. I could hear ringing and a muffled enraged scream from the woman. I blindly lashed out in the direction of the scream, feeling the intense energy leaving my body. I don't know how, maybe it was the adrenaline, I was suddenly on two feet.

All I could see was black. My heart was pounding. I was gasping as I stumbled blindly through wet sand. My face felt like it was on fire.

Why? Why did I leave Forks? I couldn't remember anymore, the overwhelming pain in my face made it difficult to concentrate. I just remembered feeling trapped there. Like I wasn't in control of my life. Like I was helpless.

Fuck me. Well… I am certainly helpless now as I blindly staggered through the sand.

I wished I could go back to Forks and live quietly with Charlie. Ignorant.

Something solid caught my foot causing me to fall towards my side and back into the numbing water.

My body was tossed and turned like a rag doll by rough waters.

 _This didn't make sense! Why was I being thrown about? The lake water had been relatively calm!_

There was nothing that I could do but ride it out until my head hit something solid. Hard. Disoriented from the blow, I was able to grasp onto jagged rocks . The water receded, allowing me to take a gasping breath in. Immediately I realized that I could see…

 _Another icy wave coming in._

I clung to the rock for dear life as the wave smashed into my back. The rock was tall enough that I could climb out from the ocean's fury. As soon as the wave receded, my muscles shook and seized painfully, but I fought through my body's protest in order to ascend to safety. The sharp rocks cut at the thick skin of my fingers and palms.

I quickly scanned my surroundings. The shore wasn't far away, but the ocean was relentless and…

My vision was clouded with red.

Blood. I had cut open my scalp when my head hit the rock.

It was foggy and raining slightly, but I could see someone sitting on the beach.

"Help!" I screamed, my throat hoarse from swallowing and choking on the lake water.

Relief washed over me as I saw the woman on the beach snapped to attention. She immediately spotted me and didn't hesitate to enter the rough water. Suddenly, I feared for her safety. But the fear ebbed as I watched her powerfully fight her way towards my rock. She was a fantastic swimmer. Finally my luck had taken a turn for the better. There was no way I could have swam to shore myself. I was completely exhausted and numb.

She reached my rock and started to climb up towards me. Pausing briefly to brace the strong waves. Over the salty ocean smell, I could smell the strong odor of dog and fresh pine as she climbed towards me.

"Are you alright?" she shouted over the crashing waves. She had an awful resemblance to Sue, in fact, she smelled a lot like her.

I couldn't feel more relieved. Was I in the reservation?

"Y-y-yes." I shivered as I spoke at a normal volume. I knew she could hear me just fine. I don't know why I knew, but I had a feeling that she was exactly like Jake—not human. "Th-thank you for c-coming out here-re. I don't kn-know w-what I w-would have d-done."

"It's alright, let's get to shore." She said urgently as she examined my face.

Remembering the blinding pain back at the lake, I wondered what my face looked like.

"I-Is m-my f-f-face okay?" I shivered violently from the cold.

"Yeah, you just have a little cut on the top of your forehead." She replied, "What's your name?"

If she really was Sue's daughter, I think it would be fine to explain to her… "I d-don't h-have one. I l-live w-with Ch-Charlie Swan."

"Right, my mom told me." She stated as I watched steam rise from her skin. She must be really hot.

I couldn't help but giggle through my chattering teeth. Causing her to give me a sideways frown in concern. She was really good looking, her skin was rich in color, several shades darker than mine.

"Y-You're S-S-Sue's d-daughter, yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm Leah." She replied before demanding impatiently, "Hold onto me."

I held her tightly feeling relief by her body heat. She felt as warm as Jake did in the kitchen two weeks ago. We counted down as we leapt inhumanly far from the rock, into the swells below. The freezing water caused my muscles to tighten up. Thankfully, Leah did ninety percent of the work.

It wasn't long before we made it to shore.

She seemed unfazed by the swim, while I collapsed onto the wet sand. Shivering violently, "I-I n-need t-to get o-out of-f th-these clothes."

I was able to wiggle out of my sopping-wet jacket, but my numb fingers did nothing to the buttons on my shirt. I don't know why, but Bella only wore button up shirts and tank tops. It was infuriating.

Leah saw that I was struggling and she helped me unbutton the top.

We were alone on the beach. I couldn't smell anyone besides Leah. I couldn't hear anyone besides Leah. So I didn't care that we peeled off my tank top and bra. Leah helped me wiggle out of the jeans, which clung tightly to my thighs, like a second layer of skin. Who knew how difficult it was to remove wet jeans?

"You're getting really pale," Leah stated in a worried voice, "It doesn't look good on you."

I laughed as she hugged me tightly, enveloping me in her warmth. Thanking silently that she was here.

"Town is a pretty far hike through the forest." Leah informed me as she pulled me to my feet with ease, "But we are better off in the trees, we will get a break from the wind chill."

I was able to keep myself upright for the most part as Leah dragged me towards the forest.

She was right. Once we were in the forest. It felt much warmer. I collapsed onto the damp forest floor. Leah seemed to have dropped me.

"I'll be right back." She spoke urgently.

"N-no!" I was barely able to grab her hand, stopping her.

"I need to get help." She protested, "You're going to freeze to death!"

"I w-will i-if y-you l-leave." I promised.

I could see her struggling to find words, trying to find a way to argue with me.

"I kn-know, L-Leah." I shivered as I pulled her gently before I let my hand fall. "Ch-change w-with m-me."

I willed myself to turn into a fox.

She gasped as she looked down at my new body. She seemed to be frozen in shock for a couple seconds before she made up her mind.

She started undressing herself, haphazardly piling her wet clothes at the base of the tree next to me. She stepped back, her body trembling before she morphed into a giant wolf.

 _Holy shit!_

My fox-self couldn't be bigger than her front leg. She was huge.

She carefully stepped over me before wrapping her body easily around mine. With Leah's fur, it didn't take long for me to warm up. Exhausted. I wanted to close my eyes so badly.

The events of today left many questions in my mind and no answers. Who was that hateful woman? It seemed like she knew me. How else could she hate me so much? No matter. I never wanted to go back to the lake. Ever again. Did I really have a choice in the matter? I don't even know how I was able to travel there, into that lake. Somehow I made it back to the reservation? Did any time pass during my travel? Another concern was that poor Ackley was left with the golden-eyed monster. What had it been doing at the high school? It seemed like whenever they were around, I ended up getting fucked over.

A low growl from Leah caused me to peak over her mass of fur. I saw a man in khaki shorts approaching. He looked similar to Jacob, only slightly older with a thicker brow bone and a wider nose. Another man in khaki shorts appeared, this one's face was rounder with a square chin.

Obviously, Leah didn't like either of them. I felt her body tense and her fur stand up on her back, slightly obstructing my view.

"Leah." The first man spoke patronizingly as he set down a backpack by his feet.

"We came bearing gifts." The second man spoke jokingly as he grabbed and unzipped the backpack. Tossing it towards Leah. I could see the dry clothes within the bag

"Phase back, both of you." The first man spoke firmly, "Now."

Leah's body changed back besides me, "What the fuck, Sam!" she shouted angrily, her body shaking as she attempted to cover herself.

I had to suppress a shiver at the timber of his voice. I could tell that he was the alpha male of this wolf pack.

The second man had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable as he averted his gaze from Leah's naked body. Whereas Sam stared down at her angrily. She was obviously stuck between a rock and a hard place—she could either grab the bag which would expose herself or she could continue to sit, unmoving, covering herself with her arms.

I "phased" back, not giving a flying fuck who saw what. My situation was a little different from Leah's—who was obviously being used. I don't know how the man did it, but he obviously had some control over Leah's free will. He took away her dignity with less than five words. I at least had a choice.

I grabbed the bag and hastily dumped all its contents onto Leah. Effectively covering her sensitive areas. I stepped between her and Sam, causing him to scowl and evert his gaze just like the other man had long before.

I glanced back at Leah, who managed to pull an oversized shirt over her head despite violent shaking of her entire body. I noticed that her downcast eyes were filled with tears of—most likely—embarrassment and anger. I picked the other oversized t-shirt that lay crumpled in her lap and slipped it easily over my head. It engulfed my smaller body like a dress. Leah's t-shirt, however, barely covered her even though the t-shirts appeared to be the same size. Leah just had at least a foot of height on me. It didn't help that her breasts were so large either, not in an overbearing way… they were proportionate to her tall body.

"What are you?" Sam asked me, cutting the silence.

"A fox." I replied shortly, angry at the way he treated Leah.

"I'm serious." He growled, "You're in our territory, Fox. I need answers."

"I am too," I huffed, "I turn into a tiny fox. I happen to have two tails. It's not like I'm dangerous to you, Wolf."

"Are there more like you?" Sam barked.

"Before you ask any more questions, let me tell you that I know nothing about anything else." I explained to Sam, "I seem to suffer from memory loss."

"Are you dangerous to humans?" Sam questioned accusingly.

I heard Leah scoff behind me.

I motioned to my five foot six frame, "Do I look dangerous?"

"Sorry." Sam cheeks pinked in embarrassment, although, I'm not sure why, "I have to ask. It is our job to protect our people and the reservation."

I felt my shoulders relax slightly, "That's alright."

"What were you doing out in the ocean on a day like this?" The second man asked bluntly.

"I don't know how I got there, honestly." I defended myself, knowing that only a crazy person would go on a swim on a day like today, "One minute I was in front of Forks High, the next I was in the water."

I omitted the rest of the story. I didn't have a good feeling about Sam or the man standing beside him.

"Has that happened before?" Sam asked.

"No, it hasn't." I sighed, tired of all of the accusing questions, "And I sure as hell hope it never happens again." I turned back to Leah, "What time is it? Do you think I could get a ride back to Forks?"

* * *

Tell me what you think.

Where is Jacob?


End file.
